by Mae Scanlan

(To the tune of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”)

Rudolph, The Don’s new mouthpiece,
Is combative, bold and gruff;
And, if you’ve ever heard him,
You could even call him tough.

All of the other lawyers
Failed to do the bigtime job;
So, Trump has chosen Rudolph,
Hoping he can solve the prob.

Ever since the Cohen plight
Trump has been uptight;
“Rudolph, with your nose of brown,
Can’t you somehow calm me down?”

So, here comes Giuliani,
Flying in to save the day;
Rest assured Ragin’ Rudolph
Cannot wait to join the fray.

by Dan Campion

Had Barbara turned the wheel of state
In place of eldest son and mate,
Both Georges would have led the cheer
For a pilot who could steer.

by Orel Protopopescu

Oh, green-haired, punk-rock turtle
on an ancient, family tree,
when did you first discover
you could breathe right where you pee?

And while we are conversing,
just one more question, please:
before your thin branch splinters,
will you tell us where you sneeze?

by Julia Griffin

SLIMEBALL, the President tweeted, again.
The former Director responded with STAIN.
NOT MORAL charged Comey. NOT SMART thundered Trump;
How sad such a friendship should end in a sump!
Once Comey was GUTSY. Now things are reversed,
And Trump has decided he’s really THE WORST;
Then Comey thought caution was part of the job:
He now compares Trump and his friends to THE MOB.
It’s tragic how sour the alliance has gone
Of Slimy J. Comey and Mafia Don;
But in their logomachy, each should find pride
In having such obvious right on his side.

by Phil Huffy

Near ball fields and the picnic park
where joggers glide and lovers gaze,
a train of excremental sludge
awaited landfill trucks for days.

The title “Alabamy Bound”
that once belonged to music, sweet
had been applied to tons of waste
fermenting in the evening heat.

What sorry leadership indeed,
what governmental laissez faire,
to leave the townsfolk crying “foul”
with little help to clear the air.

Though Yankee pot roast stirs the soul
and teases, fragrantly, the tongue
no accolades of any kind
were likely heaped on Yankee dung.

by Barbara Loots

So long, Raúl. Hola, Miguel.
Will Cuba go on thriving?
Will some keep dreaming of Fidel
and antique cars keep driving?

Oh no. The revolution’s done,
and communism sucks.
Let tourists throng the Malécon
and bring a zillion bucks!

by Bruce Bennett

Sheriff Comey’s back in town.
Gonna take The Big Guy down,
Gonna make him face the Law,
Corner him with Shock and Awe.

Man, there’s gonna be a fray!
No one wants to miss the day,
No one wants to miss the fuss.
He is back, and he’s for us.

We know how the Sheriff shoots.
Trump is quaking in his boots.
He is frantic in his tweets:
Foaming, frothing, he repeats

Lie on lie on lie on lie . . .
Let him writhe and let him try
Any trick he ever could—
None will do him any good.

None will help him. Now’s the time
He will pay for every crime.
In the shoot-out, he will fall.
Truth will stand up, straight and tall,

Tall as Comey, strong as Fate.
We’ll no longer have to wait.
Trump is toast. He will go down.
Sheriff Comey’s back in town!

by Julia Griffin

“The Queen’s last remaining corgi has died, it has been reported. Willow, who was almost 15, was put down after suffering from cancer, making it the first time the monarch has not owned a corgi since the end of the second world war.”–The Guardian

“Mine eyes itch. Doth that bode weeping?”–Othello IV iii

A courtier sat sighing
Where a bowl used to be
Sing O the Queen’s Willow:
White fur on his waistcoat
And also on his knee
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow.

“Oh where”, he sang sadly,
“Has ever been seen
Sing O the Queen’s Willow
A corgi so gorgeous
At almost fifteen?
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow.

Dear beast, you were famous
Throughout the EU
Sing O the Queen’s Willow:
The Commonwealth loved you,
America too
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow;

But one alone felt, who
Will never disclose
Sing O the Queen’s Willow,
The warmth of your heart and
The wetness of your nose
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow.

Sing O the Queen’s Willow,
Willow, Willow, Willow:
The worth of sweet Willow
The Queen alone knows.”